


in the pursuit of lies

by Kou (Rietto)



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Didnt mean it but oumasai kinda happened, Gen, Post-Game(s), virtual reality au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-07-12 13:06:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15995840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rietto/pseuds/Kou
Summary: After the disappearance of his two classmates after graduating from New Hope's Peak, Shuichi took it upon himself to search for them.He didn't think he'd find them in a hostage exchange of all things.





	in the pursuit of lies

Shuichi Saihara’s first job as detective was given to him by his classmates on their first reunion, and that was to find two of their missing classmates which not even Amami could find in his travels.

(Then again, relying on someone whose background story included his inability to find all twelve of his missing sisters was probably rather terrible idea in hindsight)

Being part of 6th Division of Future Foundation and gaining access to its network should make it easier, but he didn’t think he’d found them this way.

This, being one of said missing classmate patting him down while humming for wires or weapons in a hostage exchange situation.

Yep, hostage exchange.

To rewind few days before, apparently a member of Future Foundation 4th division was kidnapped by Despair Maniacs and apparently they were willing to release said member in exchange of a precious something entrusted to Shuichi which Kirigiri claimed to be super top secret item that not even him, as the courier was allowed to see it.

Which was why Shuichi found himself in a lobby of abandoned office in Osaka with a briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. It was heavy and Kirigiri mentioned that the item was motion sensitive and thus Shuichi had to be careful.

Which to be honest, made the whole thing so much more nervewrecking.

It’s hard to be confident when you possibly have bomb handcuffed to yourself.

 “They asked for you specifically, and this is great opportunity to get yourself acquainted with Future Foundation’s inner workings.”

“… Are.. are you sure…?I mean… I’m not…”

Not like her.

Kyoko Kirigiri.

The true Ultimate Detective.

Her being born to family of detectives and her experiences and credentials were all cold hard facts that couldn’t be surpassed that easily, specially not by some no name brainwashing victim like Shuichi Saihara.

Which apparently, wasn’t even his real name.

It’s just that returning to who he was before his kidnapping was super duper weird and painful, and he’d rather not put all of his friends’ deaths to waste.

Not that anyone died, thank Atua.

At least, not on their roster, apparently tens _did_ die on earlier seasons.

“Artificial or not, you have the talent of Ultimate Detective, Saihara-kun. You’ve been working splendidly under me for some time, and it’s time for you to gain increase in clearance level. Just think of this as a test for that.”

(Really, he should have known by then, but still)

_“The best is sugar song~ and happiness is bitter step!”_

The song is familiar.

Inappropriately, Shuichi tried to remember which anime it was from. Surely he’d watched it before. He’d rather try to remember that than to think about the reason Tsumugi Shirogane being the one who pats him down.

Of her being the culprit. Again.

“Okay, I think it’s plain to see that Kirigiri-san kept our terms to the letter. Wonderful!”

“… Uh, yeah.”

“Alrighty then! Saihara-kun, it’s been a while! Oh my, Leader is just plain mean. I mean, making me be the one who checks on you and everything. I’m so sorry about this. But, what can you do? Bosses, right? They can be such headaches.”

She laughed as she patted him on the shoulder, the gesture so friendly Shuichi almost shudder due to the memory of the game he was in. Of the cosplayer laughing joyfully as she revealed that just about everything they thought they knew were lies.

This is bad. He’s starting to be biased in his judgement. Kirigiri would be so disappointed.

Shuichi tried to remember the other details.

Remnants of Despair.

The plan to Enoshima-fied the populace.

Despair Maniacs’s desire to redo the procedure on kidnapped teens, selecting only the winners as the vessel for Enoshima Virus.

Shirogane Shirogane being chosen as the vessel after winning season 52nd while Amami gaining the Survivor’s Perk.

The whole clusterfuck that was season 53rd.

Them managing to break free from the program.

Future Foundation managing to save everyone’s brains from being fried due to in-game death.

Enrollment to the New Hope’s Peak Academy despite only having artificial talent from brainwashing.

Shirogane being placed in a specialized program after their rehabilitation, to make sure that she doesn’t become another seed of despair like Izuru Kamukura.

Him at least not feeling threatened despite being in the same room as her as time went on, and he could even say that he genuinely had fun at few times they did schoolwork together.

And then…

Her disappearance after graduation.

He didn’t think he’d find her in that kind situation.

To think that they’d meet in hostage exchange of all things.

Was it a lie too? Her friendliness and civility with everyone?

(Absentmindedly, his thought also went to another of his classmate who disappeared without a trace since after graduation)

“Oh my, apparently I’ve spooked you.”

“… uh… “

“Don’t worry, Saihara-kun. Plain old me will do nothing to you. My job is just to bring you to Leader. Just relax, and it will all end sooner than you think!”

Leader.

She mentioned that twice already.

Her boss, the one who mastermind the kidnapping of the Future Foundation member…?

A Despair Maniac…?

“Plainly speaking, I apologize beforehand for Leader’s behalf. He’s just so excited about meeting you again after so long. Well, just humor him for a bit and you’ll be fine. This is pretty routine.”

“Wha… routine?”

Hostage exchange was… routine?

They kidnap people routinely?!

“Yes. If we stick to strictly business, the whole thing can be done in about five minutes! Not that anyone ever wanted to stick around. Anyway, look at the time. Better go now before Leader gets mad. You do NOT want him to get mad. Or worse, _bored_. Honestly, he is such a pain even when he’s in good mood. But, you already know this, right?”

Her smile was wide and cheerful, and Shuichi wondered if there’s some misunderstanding here.

She’s speaking as if she thought Shuichi knew who her leader was.

Maybe this was the test Kirigiri was talking about. Maybe he could pass if he could figure out who the leader was and act accordingly in the exchange. As in negotiate the terms and what not. Minimize the loss and perhaps even bring them behind bars.

By the way, being given tips on how to speak to the leader of the kidnapper group by Tsumugi Shirogane was so surreal.

Shuichi was getting headache from the weirdness of it, with Shirogane being the villain in the situation yet again. He felt underestimated. Looked down upon. But, Shirogane’s smile was as unreadable as usual, and it’s just frustrating.

She almost twirled as she turned and started walking, graceful as a princess she must had cosplayed before and Shuichi followed her one step behind.

Their steps were loud _tap tap tap_ , echoing inside the empty hallway. The inside of Shuichi’s briefcase went _slosh slosh_ at his every sway.

The silence was killing him.

It’s like he was sixteen again, on the elevator going up and up towards trial ground. His life and death would be determined there, and everyone around him kept their silence. Only the mechanical noise of elevator could be heard and he couldn’t help but to think.

It’s practically ingrained in him already at that point, after six trials.

And so, as they walked, with Shirogane keeping her silence and his ears filled with background noises, he couldn’t help but to think.

Truth was, the kidnapper was actually _kidnappers_. Shirogane was part of it. They did it often enough to claim it routine. Kirigiri didn’t seem to think it’s that big of a deal, at least not enough to even wire Shuichi and give him tips or briefing on what to divulge or not. The Leader asking for him personally and being excited to see him.

The Leader knew him?

And, logically speaking, Kirigiri’s calmness would suggest the hostage’s guaranteed safety, but… considering Shirogane’s past record of breaking the agreed rules, perhaps it’s better to check.

 “… Shirogane-san?”

“Yes?”

“The hostage, Suze-san… he’s still alive, isn’t he?”

Oushuu Suze.

Member of the medic branch.

His job was to data the number of people in need of certain medicine, and to make sure they got what they needed. Quite low in the ranking, truthfully.

He was kidnapped on his routine rounds in Osaka.

Afterwards, the kidnapper then sent Kirigiri a coded message detailing their demands.

Actually, it was Shuichi who cracked the coded message.

He’s quite proud of it.

Still, it’s well known that chance of kidnapping victim being returned alive gets lower after the first 24 hours, and it’s been three days.

He wondered if he’d ever be like Kirigiri who could still sip her tea as if uncaring about the victim’s fate.

Shirogane giggled, and somehow Shuichi felt chill down his spine.

“Of course not, Saihara-kun. Leader and I cooked him for breakfast two days ago.”

The content of Shuichi’s stomach lurched.

“But it’s a lie!”

Shirogane skipped forward and turned around, both hands on the side of her bright flushed face. She started walking backwards then as if she knew the layout of the abandoned mall like the back of her hand, which she probably did.

Spotting Shuichi’s must-be-paler-than-normal face erased all joy from her face, and she even tilted her head slightly in universal gesture of curiosity.

“My, you have to learn to take a joke, Saihara-kun. Human meat doesn’t even taste good. Have you ever sucked on your blood after you nicked yourself? It tastes disgusting, right? We’re not that much of a freak, you know. Just because Enoshima was a suspected cannibal doesn’t mean I’d do it too.”

Fuck, the déjà vu was strong.

He remembered in the last part of the game, when Shirogane exclaimed repeatedly that everything was a lie and fiction.

“Also, Kirigiri-san would stop working with us again if we were to kill our hostages. I mean, it’s plain to see that she values their lives. Really. They’re lucky we’re the ones who caught them, plainly speaking. Some others can be so cruel. Even Future Foundation members.”

… well, that’s true.

Some of the senior members had the kill-when-you-spot-despair policy, for good reasons, really. Still, it meant that they basically called for the deaths of all Despair, no matter if they’re reformed or brainwashed or not. The Future Foundation under Makoto Naegi too peaceful for their liking and most of them started going solo hunt.

The fictional Ultimate Hunt was almost came true, even, not long after they were saved.

There was a time when they as the vessel candidates were on house arrest due to the number of people calling for their deaths, just to be safe.

Shuichi didn’t know what Naegi did until one day, after almost a month of lock down he gathered everyone and said it’s all over and no one would hunt for them again.

“Besides, you know Leader would do worse than kill me if I was to kill our hostages. He’s a pacifist despite everything, you know, Saihara-kun. Surely you haven’t forgotten?”

At that point, Shuichi admittedly still had no idea who she was talking about.

But, there was an inkling.

Leader of a despair induced group.

Remnants of Despair, with Hinata, Souda, Tsumiki and many other Despair being allies of Kirigiri and Naegi.

Someone who would know him and Shirogane both.

A pacifist despite everything.

It’s a hangman gambit, if you will.                                                   

_Could it be… could it be could it be could it be-_

But, if it’s true then-

Shuichi glanced down at the briefcase, and he could feel the _slosh slosh_ from inside. He was to deliver liquid substance in exchange for the hostage, and at first he thought it’d be new drugs or stuffs related to the medic branch, but if the Leader was who Shuichi thought it’d be…

“Right, we’re here! After you, Saihara-kun.”

After quite long walk, they arrived in what appeared to be a security room. From the crack, he could see multiple screens displaying all corner of the office. Apparently it’s still working despite the run-down state of the building itself.

Shirogane motioned him to enter, not unlike a maid Toujo’s level really.

The detective gulped, and pushed the creaking wooden door open.

And-

Someone was sitting on the large swivel chair, apparently purposely making it squeak by constantly twisting his body. That person was chewing potato chips loudly, empty bottles and candy wrappers littering the floor. On the corner of the room, a squirming middle-aged man was bound and gagged.

“Leader, we’ve arrived!”

Shirogane cheerfully announced, and then familiar sounding laugh resounded.

“Nishishi~”

Holy fucking shit, it can’t be-

The person kicked the control panel to the security system to gain momentum to turn the swivel chair around, and lo and behold sitting on it crossed legged like it was the most natural thing in the world was…

“O-Ouma-kun?!”

Shuichi’s another supposedly missing classmate laughed his signature laugh as he stood on the chair, displaying impressive balance which would shame even clowns trained to stand on one foot atop of giant ball.

“Yes! It is I, Kokichi Ouma! The one and only Supreme Leader of evil!”

Kokichi Ouma.

The Ultimate Supreme Leader.

In the flesh.

“Wha… what… how… why?”

“Hm? What’s this? Didn’t Kirigiri-chan tell you that you’re meeting me? I did want to surprise you, but I didn’t think you’d be _this_ surprised. But it’s a lie! I told her not to tell you. Nishishi~”

Shuichi felt dizzy.

It’s Ouma.

It’s really Ouma.

He seemed taller despite still on the short side, and his hair was long enough to be tied up now. He wasn’t wearing his signature strait-jacket like uniform like in the game, but even his casual clothing seemed as edgy with multiple faux belts, chains, and bone print.

Around his neck was checkered scarf, torn around the edges.

Really, there’s no mistaking it. Not one other person would wear such tacky accessory.

It was, without a doubt, Kokichi Ouma.

The other person he was asked to find by his classmates.

Shuichi hadn’t seen the prankster since graduation, in which he apparently decided to disappear.

Three class reunions and he never came. Not once. Kiibo, the one tasked to send out the invitation said that he had sent them to every known mail address of every member of the class, including Ouma and Shirogane. There was no way for him to know if they’d read it though.

And thus, every class reunion had always been attended by fourteen of them. Routine was watching Yumeno and Angie’s magic show, Chabashira clapping the loudest always. Routine was enjoying Toujo’s unrivaled tea blend and cakes, hearing Amami and Shinguuji discuss strange cultural ceremony of some unknown civilization.

Akamatsu’s chosen classical playlist of the year.

Iruma boasting about progress on her attempt to make Kiibo a body, so that he’s no longer stuck in the monitor of their phone or laptop and could reclaim his title as Ultimate Robot.

Hoshi sipping wine on the side with Harukawa, just watching fondly in silence while Momota animatedly describing the romance of space to an excited Gonta.

A happy event, was the only way to describe it. Because, it’s the reason they all chose to not erase their Dangan Ronpa identity, wasn’t it? To stay together. To not make anyone’s sacrifices a waste.

If only they were all complete. If only there wasn’t always an awkwardness from their lack of presence.

Akamatsu once expressed worry that maybe, just maybe, Ouma was feeling terrible deep inside. Everyone else gained something from their newfound talents, some new skills or knowledge or both, while Ouma got nothing but loss.

A supreme leader with no group under him could not be called a leader at all.

That beside the heavy guilt he must be feeling after the game. After all the things he did there. After tricking Gonta into killing Iruma mostly though.

Even if it’s because he’s still so desperate to stay alive then.

Maybe that’s why he decided to disappear. Because deep inside (like, Mariana Trench deep, as exclaimed by Iruma) he’s really a sensitive softie.

Similar theory was applied on Shirogane’s constant absence, despite them having accepting her since their highschool days in New Hope’s Peak.

And… he’s here.

He’s really here.

As healthy and cheerful as he could be, didn’t seem a hair out of place.

He took steps forward, approaching his old friend without even realizing it. Step step step, until he was mere feet away from the young man standing chin up chest forward on the swivel chair, looking down at him with familiar mischievous grin.

“… Ouma-kun…”

“Hi there, Saihara-chan. Surprise! Did you miss me?”

It was probably a terrible idea, and he could hear Shirogane’s surprised squeak, but Shuichi couldn’t help it. He rushed forward and pulled Ouma by his hips. The swivel chair got kicked backwards and slid away to where the squirming old man was.

“Whoa there, this is dangerous.”

He sounded breathless, and Shuichi didn’t even realize how wound up he was before this. His nervousness from being in his first solo mission. Before seeing Ouma again. Hearing his exaggeration and lies and creepy laughter again. Being pranked by him again. It took a while to realize that the loud laughing he’s hearing was actually his own.

“Ooookay, this is getting uncomfortable. Saihara-chan, you know I’d have to kill you if your snot ends up in my favorite jacket, right? Put me down now. Off off off-“

Still laughing, Shuichi reluctantly put the smaller man down.

He watched as Ouma brushed imaginary dust off of his person, muttering something about deadly airborne disease which was probably only thirty percent true. In the background Shirogane can be heard squealing something about boats.

“… Ouma-kun, it’s really great to see you again. Welcome back.”

He cut him off mid-ramble.

Ouma stopped his movement and turned to meet Shuichi’s eyes.

“Yep. I’m back, my beloved.”

His smile was uncharacteristically soft, no trace of the usual tease or malice. Shuichi felt tears prickling his eyes, and he sniffed to his arm. The briefcase attached to his wrist came up with it, and made him remember his situation.

That was, him being in a solo mission to trade the briefcase with the hostage.

Said hostage being tied up and gagged in the one corner of the room.

His missing old classmates being the culprits.

It’s hard then to not remember the game again, in which one of them was _the_ Mastermind responsible for kicking off the mutual killing while the other was the crazy prepared (or maybe just plain _crazy_ ) genius who almost killed them all by masterminding not one, but _two_ almost unsolvable murders.

Suddenly, the hostage’s muffled cry of help became that much louder.

Shuichi lowered his briefcase slowly and took a deep breath.

“Ouma-kun…”

“Yes, Saihara-chan?”

Ouma seemed as relaxed and playful as he could be, both hands behind his head, the perfect picture of nonchalance as if there wasn’t a bound and gagged old man on the corner whimpering whenever Ouma as much as glanced at him.

“Explain.”

**Author's Note:**

> title considered to be changed because im terrible in thinking up titles.


End file.
